Folding bed



UNITED. STATES I ISRAEL C. SMITH AND EDWARD E. HEREINTON,

MICHIGAN.

PATENT OFFICE. f

on GRAND RAPIDS,

FOLDING alan.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,223fdate'd March 27, 1888.

Application flied Mays,l 1881. serial No. 286,877. (No maar.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.

provide a simpler and less expensive structure;-

second, to provide a folding bed adapted to be readily taken apartfor removal and shipment; third, to provide an improved movement of the various parts; fourth, to provide means of adjusting the counterbalancing-weight to determine the backward tendency of the bed when` in a vertical position. objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a bed embodying our invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same on the line x of Fig. l, showing the bed open; Fig. 3, the same closed` and'Fig. 4. a detail showing one' corner of the frame in perspective. l

Like letters refer to like parts in all the lig The frame which supports the bed consists of the rails A A, boxesD and E, and the footboard C, attached to each other as follows: The rails A are provided with longitudinal strips a and transverse strips b,which engage with corresponding grooves inthe ends of the boxes D and E. Said rails are also provided with stri ps Z Z, between which are inserted the ends of the corner of the box D. Each of the corners of y the bedframe is secured by a hook, d, attached lto the rail A and engaging with an eye in the foot-board C or box D. The slat c,to prevent spreading of the side rai1s,has a dovetail notch,

We attain these o, at its respective ends,v which engages with the beveled ends of the blocks u', and to prevent said slat from falling out of place when the bed is raised to a vertical position the side toward the foot-board is beveled, as shown 'at m, the beveled end of the block n overhanging the same and holdingl said slat down.

F F are side frames,'which are pivoted to the rails A atj" by means of a suitable bolt. Sufficient bearing-surfaces are-provided between said frames and rails to keep them at all times in the same plane without necessity for attaching said frames to each other.

B is the head-board, which is hinged at the bottom to the box D and supported in a vertical position byarms G G,pivoted to the said head-board at f and to the side frame, E, at f, the hingesfandthe piv0tsfff being located approximately at the several angles of a parallelogram.

I is a board extendingacross the lower edge of the footboard and parallel to the same, to

into any suitable ornate form, s0 thatthe' whole, when in the position shown in Fig.p3, will form a suitable cornice or finish at thetop -of the bed, and when in the position shown in Fig. 2 will support the foot of the bed and form a suitable finish for the same.

The bottom of the frame vmay be c'losed'vrbyl suitable drapery or by panels or a mirror, or both, as most convenient.

The boxes D and E are made tight and strong enough to hold sand or other suitable material to counterbalance the moving parts.` The operation-of our device is as follows: By

detaehingthe hooks d, the pivots f f, and hinges f the various parts are readily separated and can vbe packed in small space fortransportation or removal from place to place. When set up for use, sand or other convenient material can be used in the boxes, thus saving Y the expense and transportation of the usual cast-iron weights. By using two boxes, D and E, the sand can be so apportioned between them that the bed will exactly balance when ICO :in a vertical position or have only a slight backward tendency. The quantity of sand can also be exactly adjusted to balance the bed when complete. In closing the bed as the foot rises the head-board descends through the arc of one-fourth of a circle, remaining at all times in a vertical position. As the rails A attain a perpendicular position, their upper edge comes in contact with the head-board and further movement is arrested. The board I and parts attached,being hinged to the foot-board above their center of gravity, tend to retain their vertical position and automatically assume the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 when the bed is opened and closed.

We are aware that a boX attached to a folding bed and adapted to con tain counterbalanceweights, a head-board having avertical movement in grooves in the side frame and hinged to a frame carrying the bed, said frame having pivots adapted to move horizontally to accommodate the vertical movement of said head-board, side frames pivoted to the movable frame of a bed and sustained in a vertical position by attachment to each other, and folding beds adapted to be taken apart are not new. We do not claim any or all of these, broadly.

What we claim and wish to secure is as fo1 lows:

1. In a folding bed, the combination of the rails A, having strips a, a', and b, boxes D and E, having grooves engaging with the strips 'a and b, and a strip, e, and hooks con necting said rails and boxes, substantially as described.

2. In afolding bed, the combination of the rails A A, having strips ci, a', b, and Z Z, boxes D and E, having grooves engaging with strips a and b and a strip, e, a foot-board, C, having blocks g, and hooks d, substantially as described.

3. In a folding bed, the combination, with the supportingframes, of a swinging frame pivoted thereto and having at one side of the pivot of the swinging frame a compartment for agravitating weight, and a weight in said compartment composed of a finely-divided material in bulk less than the capacity of the compartment, whereby said weight may change position relative to the pivot to determine the backward tendency of the bed when upright.

4. In a folding bed, the combination, with lthe supporting side frames and the swinging bed-frame pivoted thereto, of a head-board hinged to the swinging frame and rigid arms G,pivoted to the headboard, extending directlyto the supporting-frames and pivoted to the latter, substantially as described.

5. In a folding bed, the combination, with the supporting side frames, of a swinging frame pivoted thereto and having two compartments dierently situated with respect to the pivot of the swinging frame, and weights composed of loose sand in said compartments adapted to automatically shift as the bed is raised or lowered, substantially as set forth.

ISRAEL C. SMITH. EDWARD E. HERRINTON.

Witnesses:

NVM. A. REED, L. V. MoULToN. 

